


Branded

by elricsyao



Series: 31 days of whumptober [7]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Angst, Branding, Gen, Hurt!Ed, Tw//torture scenes, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:28:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27019552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elricsyao/pseuds/elricsyao
Summary: There was a fire nearby, and he knew what that meant. It only increased his desperation to get away.The person holding his hair shoved him onto his side, pressing his jaw painfully into the concrete. From the corner of his eye, he could see it, the poker, pushed into red hot flames. Someone rolled up his tanktop to about his ribs.Companion piece to No reason to hopeTheme: Is something burningPrompt: BrandingFor whumptober 2020
Relationships: Edward Elric & original villain characters
Series: 31 days of whumptober [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950331
Comments: 6
Kudos: 43
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Branded

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! This is for day 14! This is also a companion piece to No reason to hope! That'll actually be getting a sequel chapter later on when I get the chance. Enjoy!

Ed’s head throbbed. The throbbing dragged him into annoying consciousness, pulling a low groan from his throat. They’d gotten him good this time, and he could feel that they’d punched him so hard that his nose was bruised. He reached up to his face and flinched. Ok, more than bruised, broken. It hurt like a bitch.

The young alchemist shifted into a sitting position, wincing at the pain that throbbed throughout his body. The beatings so far had been lax, thankfully. They hadn’t seemed to want to rough him up too badly. They wanted the supposed precious information he had. He didn’t have shit, well maybe except one or two things. 

He huffed, face falling into a scowl. This whole situation was honestly so ridiculous. The people of Jahau were rebelling from the country, but he sure hadn’t expected to be caught as a hostage by them. It’d been quick and unexpected, unconscious and waking up wherever this place was a little later.

They always came in asking about Amestris’ plans for rebels, where Bradley’s home, many more things only known high up in the military commands. Bradley’s location was no secret to those higher up in the military for safety reasons. He’d learned of the area on the occasion he had to protect the country’s leader.

Yet none of it mattered. All that mattered was the team knowing what had happened to him and getting him out of here. He grimaced, straining against the thick ropes keeping his hands apart. These guys were smart. They had to have read up on him before he was assigned to this mission; there was no way they could’ve known he could transmute without a circle without seeing him. He hadn’t even transmuted once!

A sharp sound broke the tense silence of his prison, causing Ed to jump to his feet. His throbbed harder, and the world swayed.  _ Shit! _ His knees buckled, sending him sprawling to the ground and the world into temporary darkness.

Moments later, the darkness parted, and Ed found himself pinned on his stomach, six people in the room with him. He snarled and bucked his limbs, fighting the hands. A rough hand gripped his hair, smashing his face into the concrete and causing stars to burst in his vision and a new wave of blood to flood from his broken nose.

“Let me go,” He growled thickly through the blood, “Bastards! Let me go!” Something hissed nearby, causing terror to fill his veins. There was a fire nearby, and he knew what that meant. It only increased his desperation to get away.

The person holding his hair shoved him onto his side, pressing his jaw painfully into the concrete. From the corner of his eye, he could see it, the poker, pushed into red hot flames. Someone rolled up his tanktop to about his ribs. 

Ed’s throat closed, his eyes widened.  _ They were going to brand him _ . No! A panicked snarl tore from his throat, and he fought harder than ever. He managed to throw someone off his legs, and he smirked triumphantly, working on getting his legs under him and throwing all of them off.

The moment was shortlived; they recovered, shoving him harshly to the ground, his head cracking against the concrete, and opening a gash on his forehead. Blood dripped from his temple. Someone sat on the back of his legs.

_ He was trapped. _

He didn’t want to stop fighting, didn’t want to give up; with the realization of him trapped came the realization that he was going to be branded. His heart throbbed with terror, limbs locking up. He panted from stress, doing his best to control his breathing.

He was terrified.

"Hurry, boss! Don’t know how long we’ll be able to control him!” One of them called. A hand clamped around his neck, pressing his face into the cold concrete. The hissing of the brand quieted, signifying it was ready.

He’d seen the symbol on the brand; it was circular, a sword engraved in the middle rather than a shield that the rebels used to find each other. Ed swallowed as the man kneeled beside him; he felt the rush of heat meeting cold air, warming his already sweat-soaked skin.

He squeezed his eyes closed, gritting his teeth, and prepared for the pain. The brand touched his side, and he muffled his scream into the concrete.

Agony flooded his nerves, shooting up to his brain before ripping back through him. His fingernails dug into his palm, and he was sure he drew blood. The brand pressed and pressed and finally drew a loud, wailing screaming from the boy.

The brand was removed after a minute, his captor moving to reheat it. Ed shook with tremors, sweat dripping down his face, thankfully mixing with the tears that slipped down his face. His side throbbed unstopping.

He panted, breaths gasping as he tried to calm down. He could handle this. He’d dealt with a lot worse before. This was nothing compared to losing his limbs. He had to remind himself as he shook, his panic-filled brain tried to take over. 

He closed his eyes, only for them to snap open a second later as he hears the hissing stop. His shirt was pulled off this time. This time as the brand burns his skin, he lets out a sobbing scream. He screams someone’s name before he blacks out. He loses consciousness before his brain can process.

* * *

Ed awakes to water thrown on him. It can’t have been more than a few minutes after he’s passed out. The burns throb; the water was making them even worse. He hisses through his teeth, fighting down the cry of pain.

His head thumps onto the concrete exhaustedly, and his eyes slip shut. One of them fists his hair, pulling his head up. He glowers exhaustedly at the leader. Shame fills him; he can’t believe he screamed in front of them.

“Now, what do you know about Bradley’s location?” His captor’s voice was dripping with venom. 

“Screw you,” Ed spat, spitting at the man. His captor’s smirk fell, anger forming on his face. “I’ll never tell you anything.” He snarled through his exhaustion. The leader stared, lips thin, then he sniffed and sighed, turning to someone else.

“We can try again tomorrow. Hopefully, he’ll be more compliant.” A chorus of “yes sirs’ followed the man out of the room. Ed was dropped limplessly onto the ground, leaving him to lay in his agony.

Ed pants, trying to recover his witts. Involuntary tears and a small sob escapes his lips. He knows if this continues every day, he won’t be able to last. 

_ They’ll kill him if they continue. _

The thought breaks the rest of his composure and sends him to sobs. Ed cries himself to sleep, and they continue the next day, but he doesn’t break.

He refuses.

Nothing will stop him from seeing Al again, even if it takes screams and sobs to see him again. 


End file.
